PCWorld reports the following:

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Once installed in the router’s memory, the bot blocks remote communication ports and begins to scan the network for other vulnerable machines. It is controlled via IRC.

Because the Chuck Norris botnet lives in the router’s RAM, it can be removed with a restart.

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So: change that default password, folks!

So far, the common assumption was that cell phones will not be tracked without a court order. Unfortunately, this is untrue. CNet News reports the following:

In that case, the Obama administration has argued that warrantless tracking is permitted because Americans enjoy no “reasonable expectation of privacy” in their–or at least their cell phones’–whereabouts. U.S. Department of Justice lawyers say that “a customer’s Fourth Amendment rights are not violated when the phone company reveals to the government its own records” that show where a mobile device placed and received calls.

The message is short and sweet here: if your phone is on in the USA, the US government knows where you are. Do with that what you want to, and don’t hold us liable…

Even though the program can technically not be considered a virus or dialer anymore, it’s nevertheless very bad “application behavour” to perform cost-inducing actions without alerting the user. Serious applications like Fring or Resco News ask every time they connect to the Internet…

The Active Mode toggle allows you to configure he filter mode. The program can accept or block all incoming messages. Additionally, it can accept SMS only from people in the phonebook – or use a filter list:

Filters can be set up using the Rules tab. Filters can target specific phone numbers, number ranges(e.g. no calls from Zimbabwe for me) or specific text passages in the message body(e.g. no SMS from the ex for me):

SMS Spam Manager can lock itself as a “system service’, and can automatically start whenever your phone is powered up. Additionally, it can display a small icon whenever it is active:

Incoming spam messages are absorbed silently – they can be analyzed in the log tab. False positives can be moved to the inbox manually:

This review looked at version 1.05(70) of SMS Spam Manager on a Nokia N71. The program needs 121KB of RAM and can be installed onto a memory card.

In the end, WebGate’s SMS Spam Manager is a killer tool against all kinds of SMS spam. Should your phone ever come under attack, get this application by all means. The price of 10$ is a small fee to pay for total peace of mind…

These scams can easily cost you money – so please check out our PSA!